Is it too late now?
by jaredjiro
Summary: "What happens when you realize you need someone and yet they're already far away from your grasp? This story is about a young girl who was too late to realize her need for the man she loved. Will she be able to tell what she truly feel for him? Is there even a chance for her to tell her feelings? Is it too late now?" - "Is it too late now?" by Romiel Blackwater, 2015
1. The Book

_It's been a long day since Aqours disbanded._

A girl with shoulder-length brown hair set her stack of books on the desk in front of her. Smiling to herself, she sat down on the chair in front of said desk. Looking around her new environment with enthusisam, she took a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction.

 _It's been a long day since we sung that song together._

The girl took a book from the stack in front of her and read its title. The book was thick and big, almost bigger than her head. Its cover was hard and thick too, its pages old and wrinkled, making the book look like it was some kind of ancient tome.

The title read as "Computer: The Nooks and Cranies 1989". After seeing the date, she decided to put the book back because she knew it'd be useless now what with the brand new computer model in front of her. She might not be familiar with many technologies, but it was pretty obvious by the way it looks.

 _It's been a long day since we've seen each other...all nine of us._

She looked to her side, expecting to see her friend, Ruby, but she remembered that she had important business somewhere.

 _It's been a long day since I've sung a song with her..._

Sighing, she took another book from the stack. This one was a bit smaller but still thick. The title read, "Is it too late now?". Flipping the book, she read the book's summary on its back side.

 _It's been so long since I've seen her..._

It turns out that the book was about a girl who was not able to tell her feelings to the person she loves in time. She blocked off all her feelings from this person and remained friends. It was not until graduation when she fully realized how much she needed her...

 _It's been so long..._

With her interest piquing, she opened the book and was about read the first page when she realized something.

She gasped, making her sit erect on her chair. Her eyes gaped, sweat instantly rolled down her forehead, palms became sweaty and shook slightly.

 _Wait, her...? Why am I thinking about her? Why her?_

She shook her head and decided it was probably good to re-check the summary.

Indeed... This was not a romantic story about two girls. It never was. A single glance at the book's cover art and it was already obvious that it was not about that.

 _But why did she read it like that? Why was she thinking about her right now?_

"...Why now?" The brunette whispered as a tear fell down from her eyes and on to the opened book. Her hands shook more and she suddenly felt weak. Deprived of all strength, the book dropped from her hands and fell to the table, making a small thudding sound when it hit the table's surface.

The brunette was starting to break down; however, she did not have enough courage to let out her sobs even though she's currently alone. She just sat there, tears continously streaming down her eyes, internally and focibly stopping herself from letting out even a single sob. She may not be frowning or sobbing, but the amount of tears staining her face was enough for even the most oblivious person to notice her inner emotional breakdown.

As she remained unmoved, a sound of the door being opened and closed again resonated inside the quiet library. Almost immediately, the red-headed girl who entered the room let out a surprised squeal when she saw her crying friend.

"M-Maru-chan!" The red-head ran towards her friend and immediately gave her a hug. The brunette remained on her seat as the red-head lulled her head.

"Wh-why are you crying?" Though she had an idea on what the reason may be behind this, the red-head asked anyway. "Y-you can tell Ruby..."

It took a few seconds, but the brunette finally gave in. She hugged closer and buried her face to the red-head's clothes, letting out quiet sobs and hiccups. They were currently alone, so the brunette's cries, though small and muffled, still echoed throughout the library.

"Shh, shh..." Ruby brushed the brunette's hair with her fingers to calm her down, hugging her a bit tighter. She did not mind that her friend's tears were soaking her clothes. What's important right now was for her friend to let her feelings out. "Ruby's here. Just let it all out, Maru-chan."

The two remained in their position as the brunette continued shedding the tears she's been welling up inside for a long time. This provoked the red-head to continue on trying to calm her down, muttering words of comfort to her every now and then.

Hanamaru was there whenever she needs her the most. That is why she must do whatever she can to support her too. It was the least she could do to return the favor...

"R-Ruby-chan?" Hanamaru suddenly spoke and slowly locked eyes with her, surprising the red-head. The brunette was crying for agood five minutes since she first arrived, so that's why she was startled.

Shaking her surprised expression off, Ruby replied, "Yes, Hanamaru-chan?" while she gently ran her fingers through her friend's hair. As if the broken voice of her friend wasn't already enough for her heart to sink, seeing her face stained with wet and dry tears and eyes puffed from all the crying made her heart sink deeper.

"I-I miss her..." She managed to mutter out these words with her hoarse voice. Hearing this was enough for even Ruby to begin tearing up as well. "I really want to see her... I need her..." she whispered, slowly starting to sob again.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Ruby assured, lulling her friend once again. "I-I know what you feel. But we just have to wait, okay? It's going to be all right... You can hold on to your feelings for a little longer, right...?"

The brunette remained silent, slowly burying her face to her friend's clothes again. The red-head hugged her and gently rubbed her friend's back, whispering "It's okay" to her repeatedly. She didn't know what else to do, but she was doing her best right now.

She was doing what her sister would be doing to her just to comfort her...

"R-Ruby-chan...?" The brunette spoke again, only slightly separating herself from Ruby so she could speak. She remained facing her friend's clothes, refusing to look at anything else right now.

"Yes...?" The red-head replied, wiping stray tears that managed to escape her own eyes.

"...Is it too late now?"

* * *

I finally decided to write this one a full story! It's honestly been a while since I've writeen for a whole story so don't expect too much! XD

That said, I hope you do still enjoy my story! And get ready for more DiaMaru in the future

For now, stay cool, coolsies! See ya! Peace out!


	2. A Friend's Help

She didn't want to do this.

But she has to—no, she needs too.

But why is her sub-consious still stopping her...?

 _"STOP! You're interfering with her life!"_ was what her inner self cried. And that very cry echoed throughtout her entire mind, sending chills down her spine and making her realize what she was about to do.

Ruby was staring at her phone for a long while now. Maybe about thirty minutes or so, she thinks. Sweat was running down her forehead and, really, her whole face. Hands shaking as it weakly held the darn phone with its screen lit up to show a certain message written by none other than herself.

The message's contents was really simple. A VERY simple sentence was all that it contained. And that one dwrn sentence was all that is making the red-head shiver to the very core.

"Hanamaru-chan loves you, Onee-chan," Ruby read the text out loud, voice shaking and clearly full of guilt, if that even makes sense.

Sighing, she plopped her body down her soft bed, letting go of her phone just beside her. She took another deep breath and sighed once again.

"Ruby, what are you doing...?" She asked herself in whisper, hoping her inner self would answer back. "First, you were there for Hanamaru when she broke down, so that was good... And now you're just about to do something that could potentially make the situation worse."

She realized this was a stupid idea now that she thought about it deeply. However, she couldn't just stand there and look at her friend suffering internally. Ruby knew how much Hanamaru likes to keep everything she feels to herself so no one would be bothered by her, and that fact itself just fuels her determination.

She NEEDS to do something and quick!

Because if you were to compare her sister and her friend's situation to the expiration of a milk, the milk would be classified as cheese now for how too late it has been.

But that was something Ruby thought just to humor herself and distract her from the guilt of almost barging in her best friend's Love Life.

As Ruby stared at her room's ceiling, she thought aloud to herself, "Why are you fussing over this in the middle of the night, Ruby?"

Clearly, she wasn't at her right mind right now. That part was currently the only thing Ruby was sure of. And so, with a pang of guilt still lingering in her heart and mind, she shook all of it off and decided to go to sleep.

The redhead stifled a yawn as she stood up to stretch a bit; however, the heaviness of her own fatigue (after realizing how tired she was) weighed her body down to her bed again.

With eyes barely keeping themselves open, the redhead mumbled to herself, "Maybe Ruby should ask Yoshiko-chan for help," before she finally drifted away to her dreamland.

For some reason, her dreamland was full of images of that purple-haired girl...

* * *

The light of the morning sun light seeped through the gap of the slightly opened shoji windows and through its translucent paper as the darkness bid farewell and welcomed a blue sky mixed with the yellowish orange rays of the morning star.

The slumbering redhead squirmed as the light shone upon her shut eyes. She kicked her blanket away as she sat up and checked her phone to look at the time. It seems this going to be a good morning...

"Pigiii!" She squealed as her eyes gaped the instant she saw the time. "R-Ruby's about to be late!"

...Not.

Not bothering to stretch anymore (or not really having the time to do so), she quickly got up and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

After showering and preparing herself for school (and making a big mess around the house in the process), she made a quick trip to the kitchen to make herself a simple sandwich, choosing to not worry about lunch for now. She then proceeded outside and made sure to lock the house's door before making a run for it.

Wow, living without Dia REALLY IS going to be hard for her!

As she was running, she noticed that she was running AHEAD the school bus! But that was before, now she was about to be completely left behind!

The redhead squealed and yelled for the bus to stop. Her cries were quite illegible though because she was trying to shout without any air remaining in her lungs.

But to her surprise, the driver heard her prayers and pulled over!

Now was the chance! Using the last of her breath, she rushed towards the bus and quickly got inside. She then held unto one of the handlebars and caught her breath for a while. The bus then resumed its journey to school.

After she finally caught her breath, the redhead looked around for a seat. There were fewer students currently seated right now. It was fewer than normal at least. But she thought that maybe the other students are just way earlier than them.

None of them were anyone she recognized, save for one girl...

"Hanamaru-chan...?" Ruby slowly approached the brunette. Upon observation, it seems that Hanamaru was just looking out the window...devoid of all emotion and completely unmoved.

It hurt being entirely ignored, of course, but she very well knew the reason behind her friend's uncharacteristic manner. With that in mind, she shook it off and sat beside her best friend anyway.

Fortunately, she was not entirely unacknowledged by the brunette. The moment the redhead sat beside her, Hanamaru gave a simple and ear-piercingly emotionless "Hey".

As if it wasn't already awkward... Well, that greeting made things worse. And now Ruby was completely uncomfortable the whole ride.

Now she REALLY has to do something about this! She definitely doesn't want her friend to end up being depressed. But I guess she has to think of a way to approach this without interfering with her friend's life too much...

"Ruby really has to ask Yoshiko-chan's help now..." She whispered to herself. She looked down her lap and, as she did, she saw the brunette's hand twitch. Her friend was definitely still troubled...

It may not have been much, but this was all it took for the redhead to take her friend's hand and squeezed it lightly, hoping this would reassure her even just a bit.

 _"Do not_ _worry, Hanamaru-chan... I may not be as competent as my sister, but I will do everything within my power just to help you."_

* * *

Hello everyone! So here's the second chapter for this book! I hope you all enjoyed reading through!

As you can probably see with the way I narrate in this story, it's like I'm actually telling you a story in the real life XD And I kinda am going for that vibe! Cuz I don't want this to be just me writing a story and letting you guys read it!

Nope, none of that! I want you all to feel that I AM telling you a story in my own silly way! So yeah, I am gonna have a bit of liberty with the way I narrate with these stories and many other works that I will provide in the future

Don't worry though! The narration WILL become serious if the chapter or the scene is serious

I do hope that that doesn't bother you or anything! And I look forward for your comments and reviews! Tell me if I'm doing good or bad!

Stay cool!


	3. Another Friend's Help

A sigh and a sulking pigtailed redhead.

That was all Ruby was right now, she thinks. She had been resting her head on her arms over the table since the minute she arrived. Currently, she is at one of the library's table, too busy having the worst mood ever to actually read the books she brought with her.

Ruby closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She breathed deeply and slowly, trying to avoid making any noise that can disturb the library's peace and quiet. She didn't know why she even cared. No one was actually at the library at the moment.

Not even the very person that frequented this very place.

Slowly and surely, her attempt of trying to calm herself down made her realize that she was _still_ tired after staying up late last night. She shouldn't sleep, after all break was only for 30 minutes, but right now she didn't care. She assumed her friend's problems weighted a bit too heavily on her weak shoulders.

Not that she blamed Hanamaru though. After all, _she_ chose to help her and thatks what she was planning to do until the very end. She's just stuck on how she's going to do it...

No offense, but she realized after some giving it some thought during the classes that went by that Yoshiko wouldn't be able to help her either. And well, she assumes that the dark blue-haired girl has just as much experience in romance as her. Which is zero, by the way.

She's not asleep yet, but she's definitely close. But a certain fallen angel had to ruin the moment...

* * *

Classes were nearly starting and yet the redhead girl was still nowhere to be found. Why was she looking for that pigtailed girl anyway? Maybe it was her choice and maybe she just did not want to attend class today.

Oh right, this was a task bestowed upon her by a certain familiar...if she could even call her that.

"Ufufufu... Yohane is truly a great master to her little demons." And there she was again doing her usual pose as she complimented herself while looking for that darn redhead, simultaneously.

"Where the heck are you, Ruby?" She finally complained after looking through and in many rooms and places.

She searched in the restrooms, in the clinic, outside at the school yard, and even under some tables. Her search was to no avail. There was no sign of Ruby! She cried for her name and even asked the students that were still aound.

A gasp escaped her mouth, her eyes widened and she froze in the hallways. It's as if she has cracked the case!

"The great Yohane has solved it!"

You're not a detective.

"My demonic senses are tingling!"

You're not a person bitten by a radioactive spider either... Or, I guess in this case, a radioactive demon...?

"This school was once a cemetery for the most sinful creatures. They were buried alive into the depths of this very place's lands and their restless spirits has since then roamed around this very area! Their cries and torment were music to my ears! However, those who loved the pain did not mind and has instead decided to continue their lives as spirits, continuing to worship me, the great Fallen Angel Yohane! And yes, these loyal spirits' whispers told me where my little demon is located!"

Let's not get creepy here...

"A-anyway! My redheaded little demon can only be located at chamber filled with the tomes of knowledges and histories of this mortal world! I cannot be mistaken!"

What is that place, exactly?

"It's the library." She deadpanned, seemingly to no one. The fallen angel then went to the library's direction, confident that she'll find who she's looking for in that place.

She did not notice (or maybe chose to ignore it), but several students present at the hallways witnessed the fallen angels antics and are now very much afraid of her, especially the first years. They then began to ask questions—something like 'What's with her?' or 'Who's she talking to?'.

* * *

Peace and quiet... That was what Ruby wanted right now, and luckily enough, she was receiving it.

...Not anymore though.

Speak of the devil, the fallen angel that she's been thinking about arrived at the library in the loudest, most dramatic way ever. As what she would expect Yoshiko would do.

"Hello, my little demon! Class is starting!" The bluenette greeted in her deep voice as she walked towards the resting redhead and sat on a chair across her. However, she noticed that the redhead seems to be a bit blue. "Oh? What seems to be troubling my dear companion?"

Ruby sighed as she slowly sat up from her resting position, looking at her friend with tired eyes and an emotionless look. She then lazily replied: "The dark side of this mere vessel's mechanism called 'emotions' has corrupted one your little demons, Yohane-sama... It has infected me as well..."

Well, that was certainly a surprise even to Yohane-sama herself. The fallen angel sat there: shocked, awed, silenced.

 _"Okay, something's wrong with her. Time for some questioning."_

Dropping the act, Yoshiko looked at Ruby seriously and cleared her throat. "Alright, spill it. What's wrong?"

"O-oh no, nothing's wrong, Yoshiko-chan!" The redhead shook her hands and head in denial. She was clearly lying, Yoshiko could tell.

Thinking this was a perfect opportunity to tease her, the bluenette smirked and told, "You're a really bad liar, you know that? I saw you looking at me in class. You needed something from me, right?"

Bullseye! The redhead was so surprised she squealed and quite literally fell off her chair as she did so. Seeing this, the bluenette giggled and stood up to help her friend up.

"You okay?" The bluenette asked, hand extended towards Ruby. The redhead looked up to see her helper and warmth suddenly rushed towards her cheeks.

Strange. Yoshiko never looked this...princely before. Or was she _just_ only noticing it right now?

Well, whatever it was, the radiance of the library's lighting behind her certainly helped make a handsome aura for her. This was a scene that seemed to be taken out of some princess movie. It was like Yoshiko was a prince or knight that rushed to rescue the damsel in distress, and like, the prince or knight is illuminated by the light behind him.

Though embarrassed at her own thoughts, the redhead took her friend's hand and she got up from her fallen position. She dusted off her skirt and then looked at Yoshiko guiltily.

"Something's definitely wrong..." Yoshiko told to no one in particular. "Come on, Ruby. You can tell me. You trust me, right?"

"U-um..." The redhead started to fiddle with her thumb. "I just don't feel really well, that's all."

"Really?" The fallen angel raised her brow, not believing a single word her friend just told her. "Alright, that's it. I'm calling Dia, and I'm telling her you're sick." She fished for her phone from her pockets and started dialing a number.

Her eyes widened and almost instantly, Ruby begged: "P-pigii! W-wait! Don't call Onee-chan! I'm not sick, okay? Please!"

"And now you don't even want to talk to your sister." The bluenette deadpanned, glaring only slightly at her friend. "Yup, Dia it is."

"W-wait, please don't! I'll tell you the truth! Just don't call Onee-chan! Okay?"

Yoshiko hid her phone and sighed. "Finally... Okay, what exactly is wrong? Tell me everything."

Ruby fiddled for a while and seemed to hesitate, her mouth opening but closing again. But Yoshiko pulled out her phone again and gave her companion a knowing grin. This seemed to have worked because she tensed up once again.

She finally gave in with defeated sigh; she hung her head low and played with her feet, twiddling fingers behind her. "Before I do, how did you know I was looking at you the whole class?"

"Oh, I didn't. Just a very lucky guess." She then whispered under her breath. "Which is something that rarely ever happens..."

"I never thought I'd see a day where good luck and Yoshiko-chan works together," the pigtailed girl teased with a small smirk, much to the other's dismay. "Anyway, it's about Maru-chan..."

The bluenette perked up as if she'd heard the most interesting news ever. "What about Zuramaru? Did you two fought?" She faked a gasp before she jokingly told the latter question.

"No, no!" She strongly refused, shaking her head rather violently. "Um... It's about Dia-oneechan too..."

"Zuramaru and...Dia...?" And the pieces suddenly started to fit perfectly. Of COURSE it was about them! Well, it could've been anything else, but she did notice that Hanamaru has been acting strangely melancholic this whole morning. None of the ever-so-enthusiastic chowhound that is the Zuramaru she normally would see.

Oh how has she not connected the pieces long before...?

But she made a promise and, darn all, she was gonna keep it.

"What about them?" She asked, raising her brow to make it seem that she didn't know what the other was talking about. "Did _they_ fought?"

The redhead then looked at the bluenette with a blank stare. "What's with you and two people fighting?"

The bluenette simply shrug and gestured her to continue.

"Right," she began. "Well, for starters, and please don't tell Onee-chan, Maru-chan likes—no, loves Onee-chan."

"WHAT?!" This was new to her! She took a stumbled back as if the words materialized and pushed her away, almost tripping at her own feet. "O-okay... Then?"

Seemingly oblivious of the other's startled response, the redhead continued: "Then... Well, she finally realized how too late it was to admit her feelings and now she's...well, I can only assume regretting her life decisions."

Yoshiko's expression softened at her friend's sad tone. _"Poor girl must have been worried sick for Zuramaru."_

"Alright!" She clasped her hands. "What do you want me to do?"

Ruby squealed a bit and looked at her friend as if she had grown two heads. "Y-you? Won't it be a bother to you though?"

Yoshiko blew a raspberry and shook her head. "Silly Ruby. I asked, so that means I WANT to help you, okay? Plus, Zuramaru's a loyal little demon too."

"You can just say she's a friend too, you know?"

"Shut up!"

Ruby giggled but immediately silenced. She thought of a plan for a moment, and then she remembered! That scene from before! When the bluenette extended her hand to help her, she seems so princely. That was perfect!

"I got it! Come closer, I'll whisper my plan to you." She gestured the bluenette to come, her eyes suddenly glimmered with hope. Hope for this rushed and heavily NOT well-thought-out plan to work.

"It's just the two of us here..." Yoshiko blankly told.

"Just do it!"

"Alright, arlight. You win."

* * *

"Are you sure that plan would work?"

"Yep! Ganbaruby!"

"Oh Devil, what have I got myself into?"

"Ganbaruby!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Wait! Are we not forgetting something?!"

Loud gasps echoed throughout the library.

"CLASS!" They both cried. Both of them instictively ran towards the direction they were facing...

...Yeah, they were facing each other. And as a result, Yoshiko ended up on top of Ruby who was beautifully sprawled to library's flooring.

And the two stayed at their position a bit too long. Both are blushing madly and couldn't help stare at each other's eyes. Sweat formed from Yoshiko's forehead as she looked the Kurosawa beauty beneath her. Ruby looked away, embarrassed of Yoshiko's unintentionally hungry-looking stare.

"Y-Yoshiko-chan..."

"Y-yeah..?"

"Please get off of me... I feel uncomfortable..."

"R-right... Sorry..."

But before they could get out of their psoition that could easily be mistaken for an intimate moment, a ceratin brunette opened the library's door and witnessed the scenery.

"Ruby-chan? Yoshiko-chan, class

The brunette froze at her spot, her mouth remained open, debating of she should finish her sentence. But in the end, she ultimately decided against it. Instead...

"I-I apologize, zura. I-I should've knocked..." She turned around and walked back to the direction she came from.

"Hanamaru!" "Maru-chan!" Both her friends called at the same time. They ran outside the library and hastily looked for the brunette. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"She's gone..." Yoshiko whispered. "Sorry for my bad luck..."

"D-don't blame yourself Yoshiko-chan... It was no one's fault. And I'm confident Maru-chan's not the type to spread rumors."

"I'm not worried about that though... Do you imagine how awkward this is gonna be now?"

"R-right... I-I guess we have to explain ourselves to her. And then we initiate our plan, okay?"

"Yeah... Okay."

* * *

 _It seems like even Ruby-chan has found her own romantic partner, zura..._

* * *

Oooooh boy! This is gonna be something XD


	4. The Plan in Action (Still Trying)

Ugh, why did she have to do this? What would she gain from this? Well, od course, she would be able to help Hanamaru but that would require a sacrifice on her part?

Why, of all people, was she picked by Ruby to court Hanamaru?!

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Ruby?" Yoshiko asked, unsure about her friend's really strange request. "What if it doesn't work? Things'll only get worse, I assume..."

Ruby shook her head repeatedly and quickly, giving the bun-head her signature poss. "I told you! I'm sure Hanamaru likes you somehow! It's as simple as ABC. You flirt with Hanamaru for a while and make sure that she falls in love with you. This will effectively make her forget her love for Onee-chan! ...I think."

Yoshiko's face only scrunched more as if she just watched the most cringeworthy video ever. She then said in a low voice, "You...are not helping at all. But fine, it's for her sake." She hung her head low and slouched as if a heavy load has been dropped on her shoulders. Looks like it was going to be a busy day for her now everyday...

"Ganbaruby, Yoshiko-chan!"

* * *

And so Yoshiko, now sat on her seat inside the classroom, rummaged her brain for ideas on how to make Hanamru fall for her. She held her forehead with her hand, gave it a tight squeeze like it helped her concentrate. Unconsciously, her head turned to look at Ruby who seems to be paying close attention to the teacher's lecture.

Somehow, Ruby seemed to have sensed her intense stare because she looked back at her and gave a smile and a thumbs-up, which later turned into a peace sign. Yoshiko thought all of these gestures were really cute. Nothing short of her Little Demon No. 4, she thought. She was always cutie and a good girl at heart; she also had a certain charm that seems to pull people close to her and have the urge to protect her at all cost. Which begs the question... Why didn't she herself do this plan instead?

"There must be a reason... I'll find it out somehow," she convinced herself. She took a deep breath and let it out as a heavy sigh. "I really need to figure out how and why is Ruby great at persuading people, especially me."

Despite her objections, she still somehow agreed with Ruby's plan. Why was that? Was she simply that good of a persuader? Maybe it was the fact that she wants to help Hanamaru too? Or does she actually like Hanamaru more other than that girl...?

Oh devils below, she was starting to doubt herself! That's not good! Yohane should always be sure of herself, she reminded herself. It was simply that! She wants to help her little demon get over an infatuation. It's simply that and nothing more. Hanamaru is simply a childhood friend that was very cute, especially when she gushes over the most simple technology. Her brunette friend that helped her in containing her chuunibyou antics. Her best friend that was short, cute, and an avid eater. She loved everything about her. A temple girl who likes to add "zura" in almost every sentence. Yoshiko loved Ha—wait a minute!

Goodness, she was an idiot! She only got carried away! Yes, she thinks Hanamaru is amusing, but she doesn't love her! Yoshiko likes someone else, Hanamaru likes Dia. That's that and that shall not change.

Though what was this sudden feeling? Her heart was thumping loud and fast that she was sure everyone would be able to hear it. The beat was way too loud, like somehow it echoed in her ears. Heat quickly rushed through her neck and up to her cheeks and her ears. Class was still ongoing... She needs to cover her face or else someone will get suspicious.

A photo of a smiling Hanamaru appeared in the forefront of her mind. She had to close her eyes and focus to see if what she was seeing in her mind truly was that brunette. And surely it was as another photo appeared... Another one... Two more... More... These photo started to move. Soon, they talked, they talked to Yoshiko.

 _"I love you, Yoshiko-chan!"_

 _"I want to be your only true little demon, Yoshiko-chan!"_

 _"Maru wants a lifetime contract with you, zura!"_

 _"Maru wants to be with you forever, Yohane-chan!"_

 _"Yoshiko-chan!" "Yoshiko!" "Yohane!" "Yohane-chan!" "Yoshiko-chan!" "Yoshiko-chan!"_

"Tsushima-san!"

"AH!" Yoshiko's head bolted upwards. "Huh? Y-yes, ma'am?"

The teacher shook her head, wagging a finger towards Yoshiko. "No sleeping in class, okay? Do that one more time and you'll be in detention."

"Y-yes, ma'am. I'm very sorry..." The teacher only gave a nod as a response and continued with her lesson. "I can't believe I fell asleep..." she shook her head in disbelief, rubbing her aching temples.

"Psst!"

Yoshiko looked at the caller, who was Ruby, unsurprisingly. Yoshiko only raised an eyebrow in question.

"Are you okay?" Ruby mouthed, concern present on her face. Yoshiko only nodded, continuing to rub her temples.

"Gotta stop staying up so late for streams now..."

Yoshiko looked around to see how Hanamaru was holding up. The brunette seems to be fine, like how she normally would be all the time. Listening and paying attention to class as usual. Though, for some reason, her sadness was still present around her.

 _'Maybe it was with the way she moved. She's usually more...active. She'd usually raise her hand, more so than others. Right now she's only...taking notes...I think.'_

The Great Yohane could not tell if she really was taking notes because, from the way it looked, Hanamaru's notes were empty. Hells below, this was way worse than she thought it was. Now she is _really_ starting to think that Ruby's plan may not be so bad after all...

 _'Nonononono! You like someone else and you are NOT particpating with this plan, Yohane!'_

And that was final.

...At least, she thought so.

* * *

But alas, as per usual, fate has a lot planned for her. Even she believes that the gods above have cursed her of what she likes calling as the "Law of the Murphy" or Murphy's Law, for all the normies out there.

Classes ended and that means Aqours practi—

"Right, Aqours' disbanded now..." The bluenette realized halfway before walking into what she thought was their school idol club...which was just a random room in their school. She was very glad she remembered that they did not have practice anymore. She did not want to risk being embarassed in front of many people.

Well... What's new anyway? She always did embarrassed herself in front of probably more than a hundred people.

"Hey! Cut it out!" She exclaimed as she casually smashed the fourth wall open.

Shaking her head, she proceeded to make her way oustide the school building and started looking for her certain redheaded, twin-tailed friend. Along her search, she met classmates, new and old, and also met fellow former Aqours members (which really are just Chika, You, and...classified name of crush shall not be stated). They only greeted and talked for a bit before splitting up.

 _'Curse this new school. It's way too big for me to remember every corner...'_

Walking while thinking was definitely not the best idea for her. That meant she could crash into anything really. Or even trip over literally nothing. That also meant that she could crash into someone right now. Especially if that someone is quite short... Or a brunette that is currently wearing glasses. Or a girl that is carrying a lot of books that she would have to help pick up later on.

Like what exactly happened right now. Ah, bad luck, of all times to affect her, it chose this very moment.

Yoshiko walked into and tripped over Hanamaru who was wearing glasses and carried a bunch of books with her. Naturally, they fell over, both of them and the items.

"Hyaah!" They both exclaimed as both held on to each other for dear life.

Unfortunately but not surprisingly, one of the brunette's books broke her glasses. Here's the best part: Yoshiko ended up in the worst possible position with Hanamaru. Her on top, pinning down the bookworm down. Hanamaru was speechless, in fact, both of them were. Blood rushed to their cheeks and their body heat rose up.

Unfortunate for the YohaMaru fans, that only happened for like ten seconds or thirty seconds maximum. Yohane immediately got up and helped Zuramaru up. She then picked up all the books all while muttering "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" over and over.

"I'm _really_ sorry for your glasses, Zuramaru!" She apologized for the nth time, her head hung low and what can only be described as a face of guilt present on her...face, obviously. "Can you still see properly?"

"I told you, Yoshiko-chan," Hanamaru calmly said. "It's okay, zura, I have more pairs at home. And of course I still can see, those are only reading glasses." All through her statement, the brunette only had one expression on her face: happy.

She was quick to conclude that she was not happy at all. Was she sad? Well, that she do not know as well. However, that did not stop the fact that she was still worried at her. She wanted to help, but...the help Ruby suggested did not really fit her standards too.

Are there really no other way to help her dear friend? Or was what Ruby suggested the onky way to cheer her up? Maybe she could call Dia and hook them up in some place with just the two of them together. But that would not work since Dia was a busy woman...

That said, if there really was not other to help her other than actually get in with her or Dia's life, would she be willing to sacrifice her own wants for the good of her friend? Or should she just be selfish and not care about her friend at all? She would be able to get over it by herself...right?

This sure was quite a difficult situation...even for her.

"Yoshiko-chan? Are you okay, zura?"

"No... Not really."

* * *

Hello! I am still alive XD Sorry for the long due of updates. Been really busy and I have been procrastinating a lot. But do not worry! I now have a schedule and I will write for this story if I have the time ^^

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading! Stay cool!


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